This Valentine’s Day, Ben Smith and Kelly Dennis will profess their love for each other — and New York City — in front of loved ones, strangers and possibly Batman.
The Philadelphia-area lovebirds will be one of two couples to marry in Times Square, the high-voltage tourist attraction that transforms into a destination wedding venue every Feb. 14. After the nuptials, hundreds of dyads will renew their vows as part of Love in Times Square, a long-running tradition held by the Times Square Alliance, a neighborhood nonprofit. The day-long public event, which also includes two surprise proposals, celebrates several major milestones in the affairs of the heart.
“We cover every stage of relationships,” said Joe Papa, the alliance’s senior director of events and programming. “You can have a first date at a Broadway show or one of our restaurants. You can pop the question here. You can get married here or, if you’re already married, you can renew your wedding vows.”
This year, the organization received a record number of submissions for the weddings (56) and proposals (40), with couples applying from a dozen states and eight countries, including the United States, for the four slots. For the selection process, which involves an online application, photos and a follow-up phone call, Papa said the committee considers a variety of factors, such as “genuine enthusiasm” for the idea and a personal connection to or appreciation of the legendary neighborhood.
Among this holiday’s strong contenders was an Australian couple who have never visited New York but, Papa said, “know that the heart of New York City is here in Times Square.”
The 10- to 15-minute vow renewal ceremony is open to everyone, assuming they can all fit on the red steps atop the TKTS booth, which Papa said can accommodate roughly 500 people. Participants seal their recommitment with a kiss and a blinking heart-shaped ring, a party favor from the alliance.
“When you’re on the Red Steps with 200 other couples renewing their wedding vows, it has a communal effect that feels larger than any one person,” Papa said.
The alliance covers the cost of the site and an officiant, and sponsors such as David’s Bridal and neighborhood businesses will throw in gifts and special deals. The chosen pairs must pay for their own travel and accommodations and obtain a New York state marriage license, which officiant Hollis Kam will sign and submit for an official marriage certificate. (Smith and Dennis filled out the paperwork in their home state and were legally married in December.) There is no dressing room or bridal suite, just a warming tent.
“This is not by any means a cookie-cutter wedding ceremony. It is a unique setting,” Papa said. “We make it very clear that this is in the middle of Times Square, one of the busiest public spaces in the world.”
Last year, according to the alliance, upward of 240,200 pedestrians traipsed through Times Square per day.
Seven weddings in a day
During the early years of the program, Kam said he would marry five to seven couples in often chilly or snowy conditions. He shivers at the memory of Valentine’s Day 2015, when temperatures were so frigid, the organization set up a temporary shelter for participants.
In 2017, the alliance tinkered with its love potion formula, reducing the number of weddings to two, plus the pair of proposals and vow renewals, both introduced 13 years ago. Kam, a senior vice president at the organization, said the experience is more intimate and personalized with fewer weddings.
“About two weeks before the wedding, we will talk to them about what the ceremony will look like and go over the script because of the timing,” said Kam, who became an officiant in 2008 through an online certification program. “We have about a seven-minute ceremony, but we want to make it special, so we ask if there is anything they want to change or swap out.”
One bride, a Broadway fan, carried a bouquet of Playbills of her favorite shows. Kam said couples have incorporated biblical scripture, poems or their children into their vows.
Some aspects are nonnegotiable, such as the start times and locations. Knots are always tied in Duffy Square, with an original love-themed artwork framing the couple. This year’s installation, “Making Love,” features several classic NYC vignettes, such as a bodega and the Gowanus Canal.
The proposals occur under the Everest Digital (formerly American Eagle) sign, which will project their big ask on a 6,200-square-foot screen. After a few minutes, their “Will you …?” will disappear.
“Hopefully they’re on time and they pop the question and their partner says yes, in which case there’s confetti,” Papa said.
Sometimes, a surprise guest will crash the festivities. Three years ago, fashion designer Christian Siriano married one of the couples. At the vow renewal ceremony, cast members from a Broadway musical will perform a song. Couples have been serenaded by actors from “Moulin Rouge,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “The Notebook” and, this year’s selection, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).”
“A lot of folks come back year after year to be a part of this,” Papa said.
A wedding and annual vow renewals
On Saturday, Dennis and Smith, high school sweethearts who often rode the train into Penn Station for dates in the city, will be up first — the 11 a.m. slot. Dennis, 24, will wear a traditional white gown from David’s Bridal, a gift. She is favoring long sleeves to ward off the winter chill. Smith, 25, will don a free rental tux, another perk of the Love in Times Square wedding package.
“Some of our happiest memories were in New York,” said Dennis, a certified medical assistant. “It was my dream to have our wedding there.”
When PJ Kim and Jayne Choi became engaged in 2013, they knew they wanted to marry in New York City, her hometown, his adopted city and the setting of their love story. They didn’t have to search far or long to find a site close to their hearts: The powers that be accepted their application to wed by the Great White Way.
“Times Square is one of the places in New York City where you find everyone, from locals like us to people from around the world, coming together in this one space,” said Choi, a nonpracticing lawyer. “Even though New York is a huge city, Times Square feels so intimate.”
For their 2014 wedding, several friends who work near Times Square promised to drop by during their lunch break. As party favors, the couple ordered a giant arrangement of red balloons, which they handed out to guests who attended by invitation or by happenstance. Afterward, they walked to the W Hotel bar for their reception.
“Whenever any of our friends are getting married, we’re like, ‘Get married in Times Square,’” Choi said.
Every year on their anniversary, the Kims renew their vows in Times Square accompanied by their three daughters, including the youngest, Valentine.
The post The most romantic place this Valentine’s Day is not where you’d expect appeared first on Washington Post.
